HOUSTON — Jazz Chisholm Jr. had one of the best individual nights of his season on Friday. Three hits. Four RBIs. A home run in back-to-back games for the first time all year. The Yankees were winning 12-4 and cruising through the ninth inning.
Then Chisholm did something that made everyone in the building stop and stare.
He challenged a 3-2 pitch from Bryan Abreu. He challenged it with full confidence. He stepped out, pointed at the plate, and requested the automated ball-strike review with the kind of certainty you only have when you are absolutely sure you are right.
He was not right. He was very, very wrong. And the Yankees’ broadcast booth made sure he knew it.
What the challenge looked like and why it went viral
The pitch was a fastball. It crossed the plate right down the middle. Not close to the edge. Not clipping a corner. Dead center of the zone.
The ABS result came back in seconds. Strike. Challenge failed. Jazz Chisholm’s face told the whole story. He stood there for a moment, looked at the plate, and appeared genuinely surprised. The crowd at Daikin Park booed with delight.
The YES Network booth had front-row seats.
Michael Kay had watched the replay before the result even came back. When the call was confirmed, he did not hold back. “Right down the middle,” Kay said on the YES Network broadcast. “And the crowd mocks him with boos.”
David Cone went further. He pointed out that the ABS system was doing exactly what it was designed to do. “That’s the beauty of the challenge system, you get humbled,” Cone said. “That’s right down the middle.”
Kay had one final line. “Maybe he was hoping for a computer malfunction.”
The clip spread fast. Social media had seen enough.
Fans pile on as Chisholm becomes the night’s punchline
Yankees fans on social media wasted no time. The reactions ranged from disbelief to good-natured roasting.
Some tried to defend him. One fan noted the Yankees were up eight and it was a blowout. Another argued using a challenge late in a lopsided game made sense.
Most were not sympathetic. One fan asked if Chisholm even knew the strike zone. Another named him the worst ABS challenger in the history of the system. A third called it a deliberate troll job.
The mockery was mostly friendly. The Yankees were winning by eight. But the moment had a life of its own.
Ben Rice Enthusiast (BRE) @BenRiceLuvr claimed: “We were up 8 runs and it was slightly emotional, not that serious.”
William Nicholas @WillNick842 tweeted: “It was late in the game. Use ‘em or lose ‘em.”
Nicky @nickyyborg quipped: “Perfect troll job by Jazz”
Joseph trimper @joetrimper1 questioned: “Dude acts surprised. Does he even know the strike zone. I think he’s 0 for”
Rev Blev @mcblevins12 said: “Jazz Chisholm is the worst player challenger in the history (and maybe future) of the ABS.”
John Militano @JohnMilitano demanded: “Someone please relieve him from anymore challenges. He’s terrible at this!”
Jim Carabello @jcara728 mentioned: “He really is a dumbass! Just can’t stand his antics! His challenges are downright awful! He has got to stop!”
Crusaders Baseball @CrusadersBBNY reacted: “This guy really must be stopped. He should be banned from ever challenging a pitch again.”
Chisholm comes clean and Boone weighs in on the ABS problem
After the game, Chisholm was asked directly about the challenge. He did not try to explain it away. He admitted it was embarrassing, laughed about it, and moved on.
“You just gotta laugh, at that point,” Chisholm said. “We were winning, it’s a kid’s game. You got to laugh at some things. Sometimes you just got to laugh at yourself and walk off. Did get fined a thousand dollars, but it’s OK.”
He confirmed it was a self-imposed Kangaroo Court fine inside the Yankees clubhouse, the second of the season for him. He added one more line that summed up his attitude. “I put that as myself fining myself,” he said. “I got to do something for the team worth at least $1,000 after that.”
Chisholm entered that ninth inning at 1-for-6 on ABS challenges this season. That puts him near the bottom of Yankees regulars in challenge accuracy.
He is not alone in that problem. Shortstop Jose Caballero is 5-for-10 on challenges this season. That is the worst win rate among Yankees regulars who have challenged at least five times. Caballero has also challenged in low-leverage spots, which has drawn its own criticism.
Aaron Boone was asked about the ABS challenge situation on the roster. He acknowledged he has had direct conversations with Caballero about some of his decisions. His description of those talks left no room for interpretation.
“Firm,” Boone said with a grin. “Quite firm.”
Boone said it was possible he could reach a point where he would tell a player to stop challenging altogether. But one month into the ABS era, he is not there yet with anyone on the roster.
It would not be a surprise if Chisholm gets a similar conversation before the next series.
The big night still belonged to Chisholm
The ABS moment was embarrassing. But it did not define the game for Chisholm.
He went 3-for-4 with four RBIs and three runs scored. He homered in the fourth inning off Lance McCullers Jr., a 393-foot shot at 106.5 mph. He drove in two with a single in the first. He added another RBI single in the seventh. He reached base five times.
The Yankees are 17-9 on a seven-game winning streak. Chisholm is hitting .213 but showing the power the Yankees brought him here to provide.
The challenge was a $1,000 footnote. The broadcast team and social media will remember it.
But Chisholm already paid the fine. The bat did most of the talking Friday. The ABS system just got the last word.
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